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| 2006 Lincoln Mark LT (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123) |
Not everyday do I get to go to down a drag-strip with a Lincoln or roll around town in a Cadillac Escalade. Well, not every day yet, that is. This week I set off to try and figure out the appeal to luxury trucks. Just those two words being together sounds wrong. It's like saying "Jumbo Shrimp" or something. A foible they call it. You have a truck to get dirty in, to haul heavy things around with, and to take to work. If you want leather seats, a nice stereo and big chrome wheels, look elsewhere, right? Well apparently not. You see, this market segment gets a lot of attention from rappers and other entertainers, as well as movies, TV and even video games. What movie did I see the other day where the president of the United States of America was being taxied around in an Escalade? I can't remember, but you get my drift.
But why something so big? There are a lot of very nice, prestigious looking cars out there that are better on gas than a big, towering 4x4 with a bed in back and a front end that's as aerodynamic as a church. There is something I didn't know, some kind of underlying appeal to these big, comfy brutes, and I wanted to see what it was, so I tried two.
Lincoln Mark LT
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| 2006 Lincoln Mark LT (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123) |
One steamy night after a few bottles of Shiraz and a movie, a Ford F-150 and a Lincoln LS retired to a candle lit room and flicked off the lights. Nature took its course and a few months later, they had a child, and called it Mark. Mark LT to be precise. It's an F-150 infused with some of the best parts of Lincoln luxury to make a versatile and very well-appointed package, and a fantastic looking truck. Chrome accents ornament the sculpted body, with the trademark Lincoln grille up front, and a bold and unmistakable rear end. Under your right foot, 300 horsepower. Under the floor, a state of the art four wheel drive system. Under the right conditions, Mark can haul around up to 8900 pounds of ATV or camping gear behind him, and even more in the box. 5 people can sit comfortably inside.
The ride is incredibly car-like, albeit for sitting up so high. I've driven cars that felt more like trucks than this Lincoln Mark LT does. It is incredibly quiet and very graceful while delivering that Lincoln style of utility and performance.
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| 2006 Lincoln Mark LT (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123) |
The package is completed with ultra-premium leather, a personal safety system, wood trim, and all the ownership privileges associated with Lincoln. Even some regular maintenance is included in the price, which starts at around $50,000. I had the chance to do a couple of hot runs down a drag strip with the LT, and it's just as quick as it is luxurious. One of the most impressive things about the LT is its engine. It's so smooth you nearly have to check the speedometer and rev-clock to tell how quickly you are accelerating. It isn't violently quick, but swift, confident, and all the while poised and ready for action. Off the line, the Lincoln won't even spin its big wheels-it just gets right down to business. You don't buy a truck like this to burn tires off anyhow.
There is such a sense of pride built into this truck: its proud looking, and it should be. It's far less expensive than some similar trucks, it's built off the best truck platform around, and it's got the family history of quality, engineering and excellence built right in as well.
